Although Germany’s domestic lubricant sales, including process oils, declined 12% in 2023, its 5% increase in December ended a year-long trend of year-on-year decreases, according to data released Monday by a German government agency.
Sales for all of 2023 totaled 561,829 metric tons, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control reported, compared to 636,324 tons in 2022.
The deepest declines for the year occurred in the metalworking oil categories. Demand fell by 55% to 8,788 tons for non-water-miscible oils, by 50% to 10,055 tons for water-miscible oils and by 48% to 1,765 tons for anti-corrosion oils.
The largest category with the steepest full-year drop was hydraulic oils, which saw demand fall by 38% to 47,867 tons. Machine oil consumption dropped 32% to 18,065 tons. In the gear oil category, industrial gear oil consumption went down 9% to 19,836 tons.
Overall grease demand declined 10% 23,979 tons. The largest category, motor oil, experienced a slight decrease of 3% to 208,866 tons. Among several categories showing full-year demand increases, transformer oil sales posted the largest increase at 19%, reaching 12,703 tons.
Automatic transmission fluid sales rose 5% to 51,602 tons. Consumption of compressor oil increased 4% to 12,339 tons, and turbine oil demand also rose by 4%, to 2,907 tons. Automotive gear oil sales increased 1% to 35,815 tons, and automotive grease demand was essentially flat at 6,387 tons.
Process oil consumption declined 7% to 106,438 tons last year.
In December, total consumption rose to 35,789 tons, compared to 34,173 tons.
Among the largest demand increases were a 41% increase in machine oil to 1,036 tons and a 40% rise in water-miscible metalworking oils to 914 tons. Among the other metalworking oils, non-water miscible oils demand grew 28% to 682 tons, and demand for anti-corrosion oils rose 12% to 105 tons. Turbine oil consumption jumped 30% to 173 tons.
The largest category, motor oil, posted a 19% increase in demand to 13,78 tons in December. Process oil demand was also up, by 15%, to 6,318 tons. Among categories sporting declines in December, automotive grease’s decrease was the deepest at 27%, down to 328 tons. Overall grease consumption declined 13% to 1,600 tons. Two categories – automotive gear oils and transformer oil – posted 25% decreases. Automotive gear oils demand decreased to 2,029 tons, and transformer oil went down to 563 tons.